Majority leader boasts W&M law connection

Congressman Eric Cantor, R-Henrico — elected unanimously to House Majority Leader this week — is a 1988 graduate of William and Mary's law school.

"He was a regular and energetic contributor to class discussion," said Jayne Barnard, a law professor who remembers Cantor "vividly" from a corporations law class.

As House majority leader — the first Virginian to ever hold that job — Cantor ranks second only to Rep. John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, who will become Speaker of the House when Congress convenes Jan. 5.

Cantor, who represents Virginia's 7th District, outside Richmond, was elected to Congress in 2000. He also was an attorney and real estate developer in Henrico County and served nine years in the House of Delegates.

"I am proud to see a graduate of the law school play such an important role in our nation's government," said Davison M. Douglas, the law school's dean.

Cantor, a lifelong resident of the Richmond region, is also the first Jewish House majority leader. He and his wife, Diana, have three children.

Cook with safety

The aroma of turkey, sweet potato pie and more will soon fill homes across Hampton Roads this week. The Newport News Fire Department has offered the following tips for safe cooking over the Thanksgiving holiday.

•Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking. If you have to leave, turn off your cooking.

•Ensure that potholders, towels, wooden utensils, plastic bags, food packaging or curtains are away from the stovetop. Keep the stove free from grease and items that could be knocked onto a burner.

•Keep children away from the cooking areas to prevent scalds and burns. Enforce a "kid-free zone" of at least 3 feet around the stove.

For more information visit http://www.nngov.com/fire.

Prosecutor to stay

A few short months ago, John F. Haugh, the longtime chief deputy at the Hampton Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, announced he was going into private practice.

Haugh — who has been chief deputy for the past 13 years and who has worked at the Hampton prosecutor's office for 18 years in two separate stints — said he was leaving by year's end to go into private practice with the Newport News firm of Weisberg & Weisberg.

But a few weeks ago, Haugh went to his boss, Hampton Commonwealth's Attorney Linda Curtis, and told her he wanted to stay.

"I was quite shocked when he told me he was leaving," Curtis said. When he said he changed his mind, she said, "I was ecstatic."

Haugh, 49, said that while Weisberg & Weisberg is "a wonderful firm" and a great opportunity, he decided he liked his current job too much to leave.

"They extended an offer that made me think about other career options," Haugh said. "But I also have a great job now, and I'm working with a really great group of people … I just wasn't ready to leave."